Penn State vs. Maryland Position Grades

On Saturday afternoon, Penn State surprisingly dominated Maryland in a 38-14 victory.

It was so good to be so wrong in predicting this week’s game.  The score differential was not the only surprise Saturday afternoon, but how the Nittany Lions beat the Terrapins was also surprising.  They did it mostly on the ground, to the tune of 372 yards.  You would have to go back to 2002 against Michigan State to find that kind of performance, which was the game that Larry Johnson eclipsed 2,000 yards on the season.

James Franklin and Joe Moorhead definitely saw something in the film this past week and exploited it.  I thought coming into the game that the Terps would load the box to stop Saquon Barkley, however they stuck with their base 4-2-5 defense for most of the game and  the Nittany Lions made them pay.

Maryland clearly was not as good as their record indicated and I’ll admit I was wrong in thinking that their opponents did not matter.  Penn State, while still needing work in some areas, took it to Maryland all game long.  Two weeks ago, Penn State stood at 2-2 and many thought the program was heading in the wrong direction.  Now at 4-2 heading into the bye week, things are looking up again.

Penn State should enjoy this win and take the next two weeks getting healthy.  After the bye, a daunting task of a visiting Ohio State awaits.

Let’s take one last look at the Maryland game and grade out the positions.